Safety Guidelines

Read this before you meet anyone

ValidMeet is built to get people off their phones and into the same room. That is the point, and it is also the risk. Most meetups are unremarkable in the best way. The advice below is what makes the rest of them survivable.

Before you go

Five minutes of prep removes most of the risk.

• Video chat or call first. Scammers and people using fake photos almost never agree to it.
• Search their name and reverse-image search their photos. It takes a minute and catches a lot.
• Tell a friend or family member where you are going, who with, and when you expect to be back.
• Share your meetup from the shield icon. They will see your live location and when you arrive.
• Keep the conversation in the app until you have met. Moving to text early is a common scam move.
• Charge your phone. Bring a charger if it will be a long one.

Getting there

Stay in control of how you arrive and how you leave.

• Arrange your own transportation, both ways. Do not get picked up or dropped off.
• Never let anyone pick you up at your home, and do not meet at anyone's home for a first meetup.
• Meet at the public venue itself, not in a parking lot, garage, or side street nearby.
• Have a way home that does not depend on the other person, including money for a ride.

At the meetup

Public, visible, and on your own terms.

• Stay in the public place you agreed on. Do not move somewhere private on the first meetup.
• Watch your drink being made and keep it with you. Do not accept a drink you did not see poured.
• Know your limit. Being impaired around someone you just met is where most bad nights start.
• Keep your phone on you, not on the table or in a bag out of reach.
• You never owe anyone more time. Leaving early is always allowed and needs no explanation.

Red flags

Any one of these is reason enough to stop.

• They ask for money, gift cards, or crypto, for any reason at all. This is always a scam.
• They ask for your bank details, Social Security number, or help moving money.
• They push to move to text, WhatsApp, or Telegram straight away.
• They refuse to video chat or keep cancelling at the last minute.
• The relationship escalates unnaturally fast: intense affection within days.
• They pressure you about where to meet, what to drink, or when to leave.
• They get angry, sulk, or guilt you when you set a boundary.
• Their story keeps changing, or details do not line up with their profile.

If you feel unsafe

Trust the feeling. You do not need proof.

• Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. Use the 911 option in the shield to send your location.
• Tell staff at the venue. Bartenders and managers deal with this regularly and will help.
• You do not need an excuse to leave. Go to a well-lit, busy place and call someone.
• Block and report from the app once you are safe. We review reports within 24 hours.
• If something happened, it was not your fault, and reporting it helps protect other people.

After

Close the loop.

• End your safety share so your location stops being visible.
• Let whoever you told know you got home.
• Report anything that felt wrong, even if you are not sure. Patterns across reports are how we catch people.
• Blocking someone is silent. They are never told, and they cannot see or contact you again.

Protecting your information

• Never include your last name, home address, workplace, email address, or phone number in your profile or your first messages.
• Stop communicating with anyone who pressures you for personal or financial information, or who tries to trick you into revealing it.
• Do not link accounts that expose your full name, employer, or neighbourhood until you know someone.
• Be careful with photos that show your street, your building number, or your car's plate.

What the app does for you

• Face verification. Everyone completes a live face check at sign-up, and every photo they add is matched against it. It is not a background check, but it makes catfishing very hard.
• Photo screening. Profile, group, and chat images are automatically screened for explicit content before they go live.
• Share My Meetup. Send a live link to someone you trust. They see where you are and when you arrive, until you end it.
• 911 assistance. One swipe in the shield calls emergency services and prepares your exact location to send.
• Block and report. Available everywhere, always silent, and reviewed within 24 hours.
• Trust levels. People who reliably show up earn a higher trust level. People who do not, lose access.

Who to call

If you are in immediate danger, call 911 first. Tell us afterwards.

To reach our safety team directly: safety@validmeet.com. We read that inbox first.